Scientists at Stanford University have created a computer simulation of how Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases spread through the brain.The simulation shows how clumps of defective proteins spread through the brain, often in stealth mode, over periods of up to three decades.Orange shading shows how bundles of defective amyloid-beta proteins form plaques which destroy memory. Blue shading indicates how tau protein defects engulf the brain.

The simulations focused on Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Kuhl says the technique should work for other brain disorders that involve misshapen proteins.The simulations were based on a study of brain slices taken from people killed by one of the three diseases, allied with mathematical modelling.Ten years ago she created the Living Heart Project, with similar models studying the heart, a program she also made freely available.